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• Education

Quality school education is vital for individual potential and a healthy society. All children should have access to an education that is responsive to their needs as well as upholding high academic standards. CIS’s research focus is on policies that improve the quality of teaching and student outcomes.

Education: doubt about enforcing measures
Jennifer Buckingham OAMMay 6, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

True to his word, federal education minister Simon Birmingham has not funded the full ‘Gonski’...

MEDIA RELEASE: Budget 2016: Timid Turnbull tinkers at top and bottom 
Simon Cowan, Michael Potter, Patrick Carvalho, Jennifer Buckingham OAM, Trisha Jha, Sara HudsonMay 3, 2016

CIS policy experts share their ‘first glance’ assessment of the Budget, with more detailed analysis...

Simon Birmingham’s ‘excellent proposal’: a phonics test for year 1 students
Jennifer Buckingham OAMMay 1, 2016Australian Financial Review

In a surprise move, Education Minister Simon Birmingham released some of the detail of the...

Productivity Commission Inquiry into the National Education Evidence Base: Submission in response to the draft report
Jennifer Buckingham OAMMay 1, 2016CIS Submission

The Review of Education Evidence (Draft Report)—the ‘Draft Report’—provides a useful, up-to-date overview of the...

Teaching phonics to kids is cheap but has a big pay-off
Jennifer Buckingham OAMApril 29, 2016Australian Financial Review

In Tuesday’s federal Budget, the government will be under intense pressure to markedly increase school...

Teach for (some of) Australia
Jennifer Buckingham OAMApril 22, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

Over the past few months, attention has been drawn to low entry standards for teacher...

Childcare in Australia: A new approach
Gigi FosterNovember 20, 2025RR51

Executive summary Several well-known bodies, from the Productivity Commission to the Australian Competition and Consumer...

Knowledge is power: What do teachers believe about learning?
Trisha JhaOctober 30, 2025AP92

Executive Summary This report presents findings from literature about what teachers believe about how students...

Sex and maths success: myths and interventions
David C. GearyJuly 17, 2025AP83

Executive summary Mathematical competencies at the completion of secondary school influence later educational and occupational...

Early Numbers, Big Ideas. Fostering Number Sense in Young Children
Nancy C. Jordan, Nancy DysonJuly 10, 2025AP82

Introduction Numbers are an integral part of our daily lives, both inside and outside of...

Fractions Minus the Friction. A guide to four teaching practices
Leanne R. Ketterlin-Geller, Allison McClure, Cassandra HatfieldDecember 12, 2024AP78

Introduction Understanding fractions has a significant impact on both individuals and society. Fractions are an...

The Argument For Debate: how school debating can improve academic outcomes and foster a stronger democracy
Deidre Clary, Fiona MuellerDecember 5, 2024AP77

Introduction The Education Goals for Young Australians prioritise “excellence and equity” and the formation of...

We’ve spent the money, now what about the results?
Blaise JosephFebruary 23, 2026CANBERRA TIMES
We have a great window of opportunity now to finally follow through on education reforms...
Education has become a system designed to issue credentials rather than create knowledge
Steven SchwartzFebruary 10, 2026THE AUSTRALIAN
When a society forgets the difference between learning and performance, between a mind and a...
Science of learning
How revamping education will boost the Australian economy
Trisha JhaJanuary 24, 2026CANBERRA TIMES
If Australia wants productivity growth, it needs to start in the classroom....
Australia’s education system is failing students despite $100bn spending
Fiona MuellerDecember 27, 2025THE AUSTRALIAN
Taxpayers know all too well that massive increases in education funding (approaching $100 billion a...
School child reading book
Turning up a first step to success
Trisha JhaDecember 4, 2025DAILY TELEGRAPH
The best that can be said about the latest national attendance data is that things...
Give teachers clarity: Maths curriculum should build the staircase, not set the high jump
Kelly NorrisOctober 28, 2025EDUCATIONHQ

The national review of the F–2 maths curriculum is a welcome chance to put the...

Holding the education system to account | Amanda Spielman
Glenn Fahey, Amanda SpielmanApril 16, 2024

The English education system has been a model for reform in teacher training, managing behaviour,...

charter schools, macky, education
Do charter schools offer a better education? Margaret Raymond explains
Trisha JhaJanuary 19, 2024

Do charter schools offer a better education? In a probing exploration of the education landscape,...

Eric Hanushek, school, education, economics
Eric Hanushek on the economics of education.
Eric Hanushek, Trisha JhaJanuary 12, 2024

Eric Hanushek on the economics of education. What can an economist know about the best...

Understanding the Link: Education, Prosperity, and Australia’s Future
Glenn Fahey, Eric HanushekDecember 1, 2023

Education economists have settled the age-old question of what explains the ‘wealth of nations’: in...

AI in Education: A New Era of Learning | Leslie Loble | Daisy Christodoulou | Glenn Fahey
Glenn Fahey, Leslie Loble , Daisy ChristodoulouNovember 29, 2023

The advancement of artificial intelligence is transforming various aspects of our lives, including the education...

Mississippi’s Education Success: A Model for Australia | Carey Wright | Jennifer Buckingham
Glenn Fahey, Carey Wright , Jennifer Buckingham OAMNovember 15, 2023

In recent years, Australia has grappled with disappointing education outcomes, with around four in 10...

Submission to the Indigenous Sub-committee of the Standing Committee for the Review of Government Services Provision. 2011
Sara HudsonJanuary 31, 2011

Submission to the Indigenous Sub-committee of the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Services...

Public Education in New South Wales: Submission to the ‘Vinson’ Inquiry
Ross HaroldNovember 28, 2001IA20

The most effective way of improving school performance without increasing recurrent funding is to enable...

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